SNSUN

Not yet. We’ve had tough fixtures, we were always going to be low on points barring some outstanding performances that we just don’t have the players to accomplish. Granted I thought we could have picked up points against Bournemouth and Burnley, but them aside we’ve had a tough run of it. We have 27 games still to play, still time to rise up the table. 8 points should have us towards mid-table, 5 at least would keep us in touch with those above the relegation zone. With 16 games gone we are then approaching the mid point of the season, and 4 points or fewer from the next 5 and I think we are well implanted into a relegation battle.

8 points gets us firmly back on track. Doable. Any less than 5 and we are relegation fodder.

Well I don’t have to lick anyone’s winky tip but I was sweating balls for a while. If there is anything like a good defeat, this was probably it. Still starting to get cut adrift at the bottom now as other mediocre teams pick up points. But we have our ‘easier’ spell to come, so today’s improved performance is a positive sign.

10 or so minutes before the Aguero goal I stuck 20 on a City win. It was the first time it went above Evens all day.

Looking down a league, there's Hegazi and Martins Indi that could be available for a cheapy (seeing as I'd be surprised if we had much in the way of money for squad investment come January). #justsaying Heck, I'd happily take Phil Jones off United's hands if the price was right. Or anyone half decent just to change things up.

I'm so confident neither will happen, I'm safe. Though if by some miracle we do beat City, I reserve the right to retract that comment! I still believe the best form of defence is attack, and we have a decent attack. They need to ignore what the 6/7 players behind them are doing and press City. Their defence is their weak spot. (Though I'd still swap every last one of them for ours.)

If Norwich can beat them... Seriously I would lick anybody’s bum hole for 3 points today, even for a draw I’d probably lick a winky tip.

Two of Redmond, Boufal and Djenepo have to play IMO, so if Djenepo still isn’t fit then it should be Redmond and Boufal. Then up top Adams and Ings. A nice front 4. I don’t want to think about the rest of the team... ...oh OK. McCarthy Cedric/Valery Bednarek Danso Vokins Hojbjerg Romeu Redmond Boufal Ings Adams A left back at left back please, irrespective of his experience.

I agree to a point. I actually think we had a half decent summer window in terms of attacking recruits. Granted we couldn't get out of the Ings signing but at least we didn't sign him and think our striking options were done. If you'd told me at the start of the window, including Ings, we'd spend 50 odd million and we'd sign an exciting African young talent and a high scoring Championship striker (I like being linked with the lower leagues talent) I'd have said, attacking wise, that would be a half decent window. What we didn't address is the glaring lack of quality further back aside from a panic signing almost after the window had shut. We have far too many Centre Backs on the books, and not a really good one amongst them, brought a right back in that had previously been loaned out and played him as the young player trusted to play there has been found wanting, only have one left back that often doesn't seem to want to be here, and have only 3 central midfielders, with one defensive midfielder amongst them, with no discernable game changing talent. Ok, Adams hasn't scored yet, but he will given game time. But I think the money we spent on attack was OK. The woeful disregard for the defensive positions is why we're in this mess, and why our attacking talent have so far struggled to shine.

Well Stephens’s consolation goal won me £37 so it wasn’t all bad! I still think our best chance of getting anything from games is to attack teams. Maybe not City, but neither are we good enough to defend for 90 minutes in the hope we don’t concede.

I look at the team and defensively (and I include central midfield in that) we are devoid of much quality. You could argue McCarthy should be first choice GK but even he's far from perfect, and you could argue Cedric and Bertrand as full backs are mid-table quality. But then comes the Centre Backs, Bednarek, Vestergaard, Yoshida, Danso, Stephens. Are there even two half decent ones in there, let alone 3? It's no wonder we appear to be after a centre back in January, as long as it's not shutting the stable door after the horse has bolted. Then there's defensive midfield. Again Romeu is probably a mid-table defensive midfielder, but that's it. Why we didn't keep Reed and give him a shot this season I'll never know, we're hardly blessed with defensive midfielders. I actually think our attack is half decent, especially with Djenepo to come back, although it is our complete incompetence in defence that means the likes of Boufal and Adams are being sacrificed presently. Effectively a mid-table Saints team could be: McCarthy Cedric ------- ------- Bertrand Romeu -------- Djenepo Boufal Redmond Ings which shows the glaring absences of quality from the defence. Can we turn it around? Yes we can beat teams around us at the bottom of the table, if we can sort the defence out and actually attack teams, which is our strength. But my God do we need to strengthen big time in January. Can we afford to? Well that's the question. The only 'pro' from Friday's thrashing is that it occurred fairly early into the season with a chance to change things one way or another.

Correction. Or Djenepo if he’s fit...

Because Bertrand is suspended and we’re **** out of left backs otherwise. Sticking Danso at left back, de Bruyne or whoever will have a field day. At least a promising young left back, trained in that position, may have some idea of how to perform there. And who knows, he might do well. Cedric aside, there’s nobody else I would want to see in that position. If Cedric is fit, fine, give it to him, but if not, it hasn’t to be Vokins. But of course, we all know it will be Danso...

Another two goals for Jarrod Bowen at Hull. We should definitely be looking to bring in in January, even if we go down he’d be a great asset!

If we start next season in the Championship, I’d be more than happy to see Valery start as our first choice right back. But he was thrown into Premier League football last season at a tender age and did OK, at a time we’d loaned Cedric out and had nobody else to call on. But he’s not Premier League ready, yet.

Man City twice in a row after a 9 nil thrashing! FFS. Simply we need to mix it up in one of the games, and as the first is the Cup game, that might as well be the one. Firstly, no more 3 centre backs. Yes we’re crap with 2 but we’re also crap with 3 so we might as well have the extra attacker on the pitch, even against the likes of City. Secondly, no more 3 central midfielders. They aren’t good enough. Thirdly, no Gunn. He’s not ready yet and McCarthy is better. So... injuries pending... McCarthy Valery (unless Cedric is fit) Danso Yoshida Vokins Romeu Hojbjerg (who else? Slattery? ) Armstrong Redmond Adams Ings Or get Djenepo back on crutches or whatever, it seems we need him.

I remember tonking Sunderland 8-0. Good times...

MANCHESTER CITY NEXT...twice. I don’t think we’ve even hit rock bottom yet... Build up threads will be fun. For the cup game just try something different please!

Bring in Vokins. What can we lose by it? Otherwise it’s another player playing out of position....

...and yet somebody would come in for JWP, Bertrand, Redmond and possibly even Ings and Djenepo. We’d start next season totally devoid of quality with the likes of Josh Sims and Tyreke Johnson supporting Adams and Obafemi. We cannot go down this season, we won’t bounce back up anytime soon. There’s still a long way to go in this season, we need something to change now...

I would have but switched off after the first goal. I could see where that was headed. Jolly Boy’s Outing is on Gold. Much better viewing. That hasn’t stopped my tosser friends from keeping me updated with the score all game. Let’s blame the weather, eh! Hard to see where we go from here...

My second team is the wife’s, which is, unfortunately, Norwich!

I actually just yelled at the wife with anger, and she even do anything. Proper winding me up this club. Hard to see anyone wanting many of our players if we go down. JWP may fetch a bit, Bertrand too, Cedric, Boufal and co will leave on frees at the end of their contracts. Hard to see anyone with any quality staying put, nice as it would be to have Ings, Redmond and Djenepo next season for the Championship push! Realistically, this is one game, and while it has been an embarrassing thrashing, at least it has happened early in the season. Still a long way to go.

How many sendings off for an abandoned game?

We could get Sir Alex, Arsene or Jose in and our team would still be ****. We need to break the bank in January for a top centre back, central midfielder and some resemblance of a back up left back (or long term Bertrand replacement) and hope Djenepo stays fit for the rest of the season. Then we might have a chance of survival. Or there's the other option... prepare for the Championship.